Discussion on Religion and Theology (Essay Sample)

Religion and Theology
Student Name
Instructor
Course
Topic
Religion has been considered an integral part of the society since the days of enlightment. Various laws and traditions have been introduced to guide the followers on the recommended way of life. Dharma, an important concept in Buddhism, basically refers to the Law or the life that is lived with regard to these law (whether natural or legally constituted). Usually, all religion is usually regarded as an issue pertaining to natural laws considered to be eternally valid (sanatana dharma) as suffering and bondage are defined in terms of their effects or causes. Dharma depicts a set of standards, which if followed critically would result to enjoyable benefits but if contradicted would lead to unfortunate circumstances. It is the consistence of the causes and the effects of dharma that have contributed its eternal gratification. Dharma has different paths like Jain, Buddhist and the Hindu, but there is the basic philosophy of liberation. Some even have measures meant to purify one of the sinful acts performed earlier; some of the measures include the yoga (K.Chandirimani, 1994). Dharma in Buddhism involves leading a wholesome morally upright life devoid of unreasonable actions. Such lifestyles keep one out of harm’s way which may develop overtime due to unskillful actions. Therefore, dharma in Buddhism is often called ‘the road to purification’ (K.Chandirimani, 1994). As with other paths of dharma, the endpoint of this road to purification is the profound mental health and peace.
According to Buddha’s teachings, many problems in real life situations are attributed to ignorance which can be eliminated by practicing dharma. Practice of dharma is the supreme way of leading life, for example, in many underdeveloped nations habited majorly by the Buddhists, lasting happiness and satisfaction was found by practicing intently the teachings conveyed by Buddha. The basic teaching by Buddha is that outer peace is dependent on the inner peace and inner peace can be established by following natural spiritual paths thereby leading to the existence of outer peace which comes naturally.
Dharma is still relevant in modern societies. Some of the inherent teachings conveyed are eternal, for example self-discipline, which is a basic teaching by the Buddha. Self-imposed discipline involves restraining one from unethical behavior and cultivating efforts towards attaining wisdom. In attainment of wisdom, one has to fully comprehend his/her surroundings, its nature and the causal phenomena of different occurrences or situations; therefore, an investigative nature is critical in Buddhism (Martine). The investigative phenomenon might help this modern society understand the current devoid traditions, unearth their causes and even propose feasible solutions tailored to attain an ethic-conscious society.
Perennial problems like family disputes, tribal conflicts and even international terrorism start with similar causes like hatred, ignorance and even greed in the society. These causative phenom